Friction draft-rigging.



PATBNTED AUG. 28, 1906.

3. I. nouns. FRICTION DRAFT RIGGI APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18,

NG'I

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

7//////// Z7//47/l7// 7/// 7//1 I No. 829,636. PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906. E I. DODDS. FRICTION DRAFT RIGGIN APPLICATION FILED SEPT.18.190

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ETHAN I. ,DoonsoF PuLLMAn, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR TO THE PULLMAN COM ANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

FRICTION DRAFT-RIGGING.

2 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1906.

Application filed September-111905.. Serial No. 278.932.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, ETHAN I. DODDs, a citi- .zen of the United States, residing at Pullman,

in the county of Cook and 'State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Friction Draft-Rigging, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to the draftrigging of railway-cars,- its'principal object being the provision of, a simple means of large capacity for effecting an elastic and cushioned connection between the coupler and draft-sills.

by itself or in conjunction with one or more For this purpose I employ draft-springs a mechanism comprising a plurality of expansible sectors encircled and elastically held together against a center sleeve or tube by a special form of. spring, wedging conical-shaped separating members attached to the follower-plates being adapted to engage the sectors and force them apart in opposition to-"the action of the surrounding spring, whereby an effective, elastic, and

frictional connection is secured between the fragmentary plan view of the car under-' a frame and draft-rigging.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion of my improved elastic friction mechanism. Fig. 4 is a crosssection of the same parts. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the special form of spring employed in my device, and Fig. 6

' illustrates in perspective the expansible sectors of the draft-gear in conjunction with their cooperating central tube and wedging members.

Shank 10 of coupler 11 has secured to its inner'end yoke 12 the inner follower-plate 13,

sliding on guides 14, which are fastened tothe adjacent sides of the draft-sills 15 and cooperating With stops 16, secured to the sills 15, the plate 13 being held against the end of yoke 12 by draft-spring 17 Reciprocating on guides '14 is a. similar outer followerrplate 18, coacting with fixed stops 19 and thrust against the yoke end of the coupler by draftspring 20. ProjecLing toward each other and secured to the follower-plates described above are cylindrical wedging members 21 and 22, having conical ends 23 and 24, respectively. Between the followers 13 and 18 is placed a member comprising a plurality of sectors 25, grouped about a central tube or sleeve 29,- each of said sectors having at both ends laterally-projecting curved flanges 26 and longitudinally-extended curved flanges 27. The ends of sectors 25 are hollowed out or concaved obliquely of their inner surfaces, so as to unitedly form conical recesses 28,

within which the conical ends 23 and 24 of the wedging members 21 and 22 are adapted to fit under certain conditions. Sectors 25 are normally held together and against cen-' tral tube 29 by an encircling laterally-expansible spiral spring 30, disposed between the end flanges 26 of the sectors, each coil of the spring being provided on opposite sides with loops 31 to increase the lateral resiliency or elastic capacity ,thereof. ends of draft-springs 17 and 20 engage the ends of sectors 25 being held in place by the curved flanges 27 of the latter. It should be The, adj acent noted that whenthe parts are assembled the sectors and their tube'are in alinement with the cylindrical wedging members.

The operation of the apparatus may be de scribed as follows: When the coupler 11, its shank 10, and attached yoke 12 are drawn forwardly, the follower 13, with its wedging member 21, travels in the same direction because of its engagement with the inner end of the yoke. Follower 18, abutting against draft lugs 19, receives the pull transmitted through follower 13, spring 17, sectors 25,and spring 20 and transmits the same to the draft-sills of the car. Under normal conditions the expansible sectors and their cooperating wedges do not come into action except to the extent 4 that they travel forwardly as springs 17 and v 20 are compressed; but in case an excessive pull is exerted upon the coupler beforethe compressibility of springs 17 and 20 is ex hausted the sectors will have traveled in the direction of the pull sufficiently so that the ,conical ends of wedging members 21 and 22 simultaneously contact with'the sides of the conical recesses at the ends of thes'ectors and roc ' 4o ity, and wedging means coacting with said arate sai force the same a laterally i pposition tionto-theaction of,said"spring, substantially 60 to the action oi spring 30. 'The' "unusual as described. strain put upon the coupler, if onl InOmen-- .4. Inarailway-car drafitmggmgthe Gomtary, is thus largely if not wholly'asorbed in *bination of a plurality of sectors having both 5 frictionf When the' coupler is-forced inends tapered, aspring encircling said sectors WardlyWith a normal thrust, its movement is holding the same together and pernnttmg 65 transmitted through thefollower l8,springZO, therr expansion, and cooperatingmembers sectors 25, and spr1ng17 to the follower 13 and :having tapered ends coactm-g with sald secthe draft-lugs 16. In case the inward-.thrustis tors to force-the same apart inoppositlon to to excessive the auxiliary a paratus comprising the action of said spring, substantially as dethe sectors, their encircling spring, and the scribed. r o wedging members comes into operation to -5.-1n arailway-car draft-rigging, the. comabsorb the shock. binatiori of a coupler, a yokesecured thereto, Although I have shown three sectorsinthe l alfollower, a .wedging member actuated b. 15 draft-gear, it is obvious that any number Said :followel, a p u i y -0 7866130178 Wit more or less than that described may be utilwhich said wedging membercooperates, and 75 ized, and it is further evident that the usual an encircling spiral spring havmg' integral draft-springs 17 and 20 may be omitted, the partsserving to augment its normal elastic remaining parts constituting an operative capacity coacting with said sectors holding 20 and effective friction draft-rigging, them together and allowing their expansion,

To those skilled in the art other mechansubstantially as described. 8o ical changes will suggest themselves, and .6. Ina railway-car draft-rigging, the comhence my invention is not limited to the .debinationofa coupler, a yoke secured thereto; tails shown and described except to the exfollowers within said yoke, a wedging mem tent that they are made the subject-matter ber with a conical-end secured to and movof s ecific claims. able with each follower, a plurality of sectors his atent isintended to embrace only so having a .conical recess at each end with much o'i the disclosure made herein as is covhich saidwedging. members coo crate, and ered by the claims. an encircling spring coacting wit said sec- 3c The type of spring encircling the sectors tors holding them together .and allowing descr'jbed in this application is claimed inl-my their expansion, substantiallyas described. I

copendi-ng divisional application, Serial No. 7, In}. railwaywardraft-rigging, the .com- I 300,755, filed February 12, 190.6. bination ofa coupler, a yoke secured thereto, I claim' followers within said yoke, a wedging mem- 3 5 1. In a railwa -car draft-rigging, the comber secured to and movable with each folbination of a p urality of sectors, a spring lower, ',a plurality .of sectors, an ,encircljng 5 normally compressing said sectors toward s, ring .coacting 'yvith said sectors holding a each other, said spring having integral parts them together and allowing their expansion, serving to augment its normal elastic .capacsaid wed ingmembers being adapted to sep-' v d sectors in opposition to theaction sectors to se 'arate the same in opposition to of said spring, and draft-s. rings interposed :00 the action 0 said spring, substantiallyas debetween said followers ,an the ends 0 'said scribed. sectors,substantially,asdescribed,

2. In a railway-car draft-rigging, the com- 8. In a railwayecardraftrigging, thej.c0m-

45 bination of a plurality of sectors, a spring en bination ,ofa coupler, a yoke secured thereto,

circling said sectors holdingthe same 130- followers within said yoke, a wedging inemgether and permitting their expansion, said ber with a conical end secured to andmovs r ng having ,one .or more loops to augment able with each follower, a plurality of sectors 1 s elastic capacity, and wedg ng means cohaving a conical recess at each .end with 50- acting said sectors to separate the same which said wedging members cooperate, an

' n 0 pos 1t1on to the action of saidspring, encirclin spri.ng oa ting with said sectors no substant ally as described. holding t em .tQgether and permitting their n a railwa -car draft-rigging, the co nexpansion, and draft-springs inter osed bebination 'of a purality of sectors, a spiral tween said'followersandthe enfdsoiisaid sec- 5 5' s ring encircling said sectors and permitting tors, substantially as described.

t eir expansion, each coil'of said sprin hav- ETHAN I. DODDS. mg oneor more. loops to increase'its ateral Witnesses:

resiliency, and wedg ng means coacting FREDERICK Goonwm, I said sectors to separate the same in oppos1- I WALTER M. FULLER. 

